Sudan peace accord formalised in Constitutional Document

The Sovereign Council and the Council of Ministers decided yesterday to incorporate the Juba Peace Agreement, signed on October 3, into the 2019 Constitutional Document.

The incorporation of the Juba Peace Agreement into the Constitutional Document means that three seats will be added to the Sovereign Council, now existing of 11 members (five military and six civilians). The three seats will be occupied by the rebel movements.

It also means that Article 80 will be added to the Constitution Document. This article stipulates the establishment of a ‘Partners Council’ for the three-year transitional period.

The Partners Council will consist of the Forces for Freedom and Change, Sudan’s military forces* and the rebel movements that signed the Juba Peace Agreement, to discuss major political issues.

Last week, civil society organisations warned against the incorporation of the Juba Peace Agreement into the Constitutional Document, because not all of the armed rebel movements have signed a peace accord with the Sudanese government.

* Sudan’s military consists of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In the Constitutional Document, signed on August 17 last year by the then ruling Transitional Military Council and the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), it was agreed that both the army and the RSF will fall under the command of the SAF Supreme Commander. At the same time the RSF stays a force unto itself.